No guarantee that legislators will meet deadline

Doug Finke

Wednesday

May 28, 2008 at 12:01 AMMay 28, 2008 at 9:46 AM

The countdown to May 31, when the General Assembly is supposed to finish its spring session, has begun. Whether it means the end of the 2008 session or just the beginning of another long summer for lawmakers in Springfield is anyone’s guess.

The countdown to May 31, when the General Assembly is supposed to finish its spring session, has begun. Whether it means the end of the 2008 session or just the beginning of another long summer for lawmakers in Springfield is anyone’s guess.

FOUR — Days are left until Saturday, May 31.

If lawmakers don’t meet the deadline, it doesn’t mean state government will grind to a halt. The current state budget is good through June 30, the end of the fiscal year. Even then, a true financial crisis won’t hit until mid-July when the first batch of state employee paychecks based on a new budget are scheduled to be issued.

The problem for the Democrat-controlled legislature is that after May 31, it takes a three-fifths super-majority in both the House and Senate to pass a new budget. That isn’t a problem in the Senate, where Democrats already have a super-majority and can muscle through a budget on their own. In the House, though, it would take Republican votes to pass a new budget.

House Minority Leader Tom Cross, R-Oswego, could use that to the GOP’s advantage, trying to wring concessions out of a budget or forcing a vote on a long-stalled capital bill before agreeing to support a new spending plan.

THREE — Major issues are still before lawmakers.

First and foremost is a new budget, the only thing they absolutely have to take care of before adjourning. House Democrats passed more than two dozen budget bills last week, giving senators the option of holding state spending about the same as this year or increasing it by more than $3 billion.

Senate Democrats passed their own budget that increases spending by about $1.7 billion, an amount they describe as “limited growth.” Democrats from the House and Senate are now negotiating to find a middle ground.

Sen. Donne Trotter, D-Chicago, said the two chambers agree on “80 to 85 percent” of a budget. The House wants more money spent on some human services, such as those to help senior citizens, and more money for education.

The second big issue is revenue, meaning that while negotiators may agree on a spending plan, they have to figure out how to pay for it.

Senate Democrats are relying on two controversial ideas to keep their budget balanced. One calls for taking more than $500 million out of special state funds, and the other calls for issuing $16 billion in bonds to pay pension costs. Neither idea has been voted on in the Senate, let alone the House, where there’s been skepticism about both. If one or both fail, the spending plan will have to be scaled back dramatically.

And then there’s the issue of a capital spending bill, the No. 1 priority of Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who’s been meeting privately with groups of lawmakers to push it.

The Illinois Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday endorsed expanded gambling and leasing the lottery to pay for the proposed multibillion-dollar public works plan. But the chamber’s president, Doug Whitley, said the group still has unanswered questions about how the money will be spent.

Whitley said the bill could be addressed later this summer if lawmakers don’t approve it by the end of the week.

Many lawmakers, though, are intent on passing a budget and leaving Springfield for good by Saturday. Sen. John Sullivan, D-Rushville, said voting on a way to pay for the capital bill is “going to be a tough vote for a lot of people.”

“If the will is there, I think the groundwork has been laid,” Sullivan said. “I’m not sure the will is there.”

TWO — Reasons lawmakers won’t be able to meet the deadline.

One is that Senate President Emil Jones and House Speaker Michael Madigan, both Chicago Democrats, can’t agree on a budget. Ultimately, the two will have to sign off on anything their negotiators decide upon. There are still hard feelings from last year, when Madigan thought Jones reneged on a promise to override budget cuts made by Blagojevich. At the same time, Jones thought Madigan was interfering in internal Senate operations.

Another possibility is that Blagojevich will force lawmakers to stick around. With his other ideas off the negotiating table — like tax rebates and expanded health care — the governor’s chance to declare victory this spring lies in a capital bill. He could decide to veto the entire budget, which would force lawmakers back to Springfield.

Overriding the veto would bring House Republicans, again, into the picture.

ONE — Reason they might meet Saturday’s deadline.

Details vary among lawmakers, but they all fall under the category of self-interest.

That includes Democrats who don’t want to be in an overtime session while favorite son Barack Obama is heading to the Democratic nomination for president.

“I think one of many reasons to adjourn by the 31st is the fact we do have a presidential candidate from Illinois that many people want to go out and help any way they can,” said Sullivan.

“We also have a number of members who are going to be in tough (election) races themselves, so they need to get back for that. We have other members ... who work other jobs. They can’t do that. We have families, vacations that have to be put off. There’s a whole litany of events that take place (in summer) that all had to be put off. People don’t have the appetite to do that again.”

Doug Finke can be reached at (217) 788-1527 or doug.finke@sj-r.com.

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